Phospholipase A2 structure/function, mechanism, and signaling1 John E. Burke and Edward A. Dennis2 Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0601 Abstract Tremendous advances in understanding the the isolation, sequencing, and cloning of the PLA2 from structure and function of the superfamily of phospholipase human synovial fluid in 1988 (group IIA) (4, 5), which had A2 (PLA2) enzymes has occurred in the twenty-first century. a disulfide bond pattern more similar to the new world The superfamily includes 15 groups comprising four main rattlesnakes (group II), the more complicated PLA from types including the secreted sPLA , cytosolic cPLA , calcium- 2 2 2 bee venom (group III) (6), and in 1991 the human cytosolic independent iPLA2, and platelet activating factor (PAF) ace- calcium-dependent PLA2 from macrophages (group IVA) tyl hydrolase/oxidized lipid lipoprotein associated (Lp)PLA2. “ We review herein our current understanding of the structure (7, 8), the need for a more elaborate group numbering and interaction with substrate phospholipids, which resides system” became obvious (9). As the discovery of additional inmembranesforarepresentativeofeachofthesemain PLA2s continued such as the macrophage secreted group V types of PLA2. We will also briefly review the development PLA2 (10, 11) and the calcium-independent PLA2 (group VI) of inhibitors of these enzymes and their roles in lipid sig- (12), this system was expanded with 14 distinct groups and — naling. Burke, J. E., and E. A. Dennis. Phospholipase A2 J. Lipid Res. many subgroups appearing by 2000 (13). The latest review structure/function, mechanism, and signaling. (14) lists 15 distinct groups of PLA . They cluster in four 2009. S237–S242. 2 main categories or types: secreted sPLA2s, cytosolic cPLA2s, calcium-independent iPLA2s, and platelet activating factor Supplementary key words lipid signaling • phospholipids • arachi- donic acid (PAF) acetyl hydrolase/oxidized lipid lipoprotein associ- ated (Lp)PLA2s. Each of these types has been implicated in diverse kinds of lipid metabolism and disease progres- The last 25 years has witnessed a virtual explosion in our sion so there has been a tremendous interest in the phar- maceutical and biotechnology industry in developing knowledge about the superfamily of phospholipase A2 selective and potent inhibitors of each of these types. (PLA2) enzymes. PLA2 hydrolyzes the fatty acid from the sn-2 position of membrane phospholipids. In vivo, the sn-2 position of phospholipids frequently contains poly- unsaturated fatty acids, and when released, these can be SECRETED PLA2 metabolized to form various eicosanoids and related bio- The secreted PLA s were the first type of PLA enzymes active lipid mediators (1). The remaining lysophospholipid 2 2 discovered. They are found in sources as diverse as venoms can also have important roles in biological processes (2). from various snakes, scorpions, etc.; components of pan- From the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the creatic juices; arthritic synovial fluid; and in many different twentieth century (3), PLA was known to be a major com- 2 mammalian tissues (13). They are characterized by a low ponent of snake venoms, and it was later recognized that molecular weight (13–15 kDa), histidine in the catalytic PLA from old world snakes (group I) differed in their 1 2 site, Ca2 bound in the active site, as well as six conserved disulfide bond pattern from new world snakes (group II). disulfide bonds with one or two variable disulfide bonds. Later it was discovered that the major mammalian digestive These enzymes all catalyze the hydrolysis through the enzyme, pancreatic PLA , was more similar to that from the 2 same mechanism of abstraction of a proton from a water old world snakes such as the Indian cobra (group IA), and molecule followed by a nucleophilic attack on the sn-2 hence the pancreatic enzyme was named group IB. With bond. The water molecule is activated by the presence of This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grant GM20501 (E.A.D). 1 Guest editor for this article was Martha K. Cathcart, Lerner Re- Manuscript received 7 October 2008 and in revised form 13 November 2008. search Institute, the Cleveland Clinic. Published, JLR Papers in Press, November 14, 2008. 2 To whom correspondence should be addressed. DOI 10.1194/jlr.R800033-JLR200 e-mail: [email protected] Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc. This article is available online at http://www.jlr.org Journal of Lipid Research April Supplement, 2009 S237 1 a histidine/aspartic acid dyad in a Ca2 dependent man- charged surfaces (22). For a more detailed review of the ner (15, 16). Most of the secreted PLA2 enzymes share the mechanism of binding to differently charged membranes, property of exhibiting an increase in activity termed inter- see Ref. 23. facial activation when substrate is presented as a large lipid The primary role of the mammalian secreted PLA2 en- aggregate, rather than in monomeric form. More detailed zymes in eicosanoid signaling remains unclear and has reviews of interfacial kinetics can be found elsewhere been recently reviewed (23). The most well-understood (17, 18). function of a mammalian sPLA2 is group IIA, which has Understanding the mechanism of interfacial activation been shown to be a potent antimicrobial agent. Many dif- as well as the orientation of lipid binding has long been ferent studies have examined the role the secreted PLA2s a goal of mechanistic studies of the secreted PLA2s. Experi- play in eicosanoid release, and these studies have been in- ments using nuclear magnetic resonance derived nuclear conclusive. They show that the up-regulation of groups overhauser effect results have been used to map the bind- IIA, V, and X caused a cytosolic group IVA (GIVA) PLA2 ing sites of a single phospholipid substrate in the cobra dependent increase in eicosanoids. However a specific in- venom group IA PLA2 as shown in Fig. 1A (19). Recent hibitor of the group IIA inhibitor has been developed by work using deuterium exchange mass spectrometry with Schevitz et al. (24), with clinical trials of its efficacy against phospholipid surface present has generated a model of arthritis and allergens showing no therapeutic effects (23). how this same enzyme binds to the lipid surface as shown The proinflammatory role of the secreted PLA2 has been in Fig. 1B (20). The group IA enzyme appears to bind lipid suggested to possibly be controlled by a protein binding substrate in the active site through the hydrophobic resi- event not dependent on PLA2 activity. Receptors present dues lining the active site channel, and binds neutral in mouse tissues named the M-type receptors have been membrane substrate through interactions with a group shown to bind different secreted phospholipases, but no of hydrophobic residues on the lipid binding surface of M-type receptor in humans has been found that binds the molecule. Experiments conducted with the group III PLA2 (25). Recent work however has shown that group IIA bee venom have used electrostatic potential-modulated PLA2 binds to integrins, and this raises the interesting spin relaxation magnetic resonance to determine how that possibility that integrin-PLA2 contacts may mediate pro- enzyme binds the lipid surface (21). The secreted enzymes inflammatory activity (26). show similar activity to phospholipids with different fatty acids in the sn-2 position (22). However they have different preferences for the charge on the lipid surface. PLA2s con- CYTOSOLIC PLA2 taining a tryptophan in the lipid binding surface display the highest activity toward neutral lipid substrates, and The first group IV cytosolic PLA2, GIVA, was identified PLA2s with an excess of basic residues on the lipid binding in human platelets in 1986 (27) and was cloned and se- surface display the highest activity toward negatively quenced in 1991 (7, 8). Many different submembers of Fig. 1. A: The group IA phospholipase A2 (PLA2) with phospholipid substrate modeled in the active site. The active site residues His-48 and 1 1 Asp-93 and the bound Ca2 is shown in purple. Ca2 is bound by Asp-49 as well as the carbonyl oxygens of Tyr-28, Gly-30, and Gly-32. Aromatic residues are shown in white. Adapted from Dennis (9). B: Model of the lipid surface binding of the group IA PLA2 is shown with residues on the interfacial binding surface Tyr-3, Trp-19, Trp 61, and Phe 64 shown in stick form. Adapted from Burke et al. (20). S238 Journal of Lipid Research April Supplement, 2009 the group IV family have been discovered since then and has localized the lipid binding surface of the enzyme in 1 their properties are reviewed (28). The most well-studied the presence of Ca2 , as shown in Fig. 2B (35). The lipid cytosolic enzyme is the GIVA PLA2. It is characterized by an second messengers ceramide-1-phosphate (36) and phos- active site serine and aspartic acid dyad, requirement for phatidylinositol (4, 5) bisphosphate (37) have been shown 21 Ca for activity, and it is the only PLA2 with a preference to activate the enzyme and work using site-directed muta- for arachidonic acid in the sn-2 position of phospholipids genesis has identified two charged residue patches on the (7, 28). GIVA PLA2 also possesses lysophospholipase activity, enzyme that bind these lipid second messengers. The en- as well as transacylase activity (29). Arachidonic acid is the zyme has also been shown to be regulated through phos- precursor for the generation of eicosanoids, and this en- phorylation on residues 505, 515, and 727 (see Ref. 38). zyme has been proposed to play a major role in inflamma- Recognition of the importance of the GIVA PLA2 in in- tory diseases.